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Christ’s College
- 2014 In Memoriam
4824
Aged 90
David
Heathcote Garland
After leaving school, David joined the Union
Steamship Company in Christchurch. Upon
reaching 18 he joined the RNZAF where he
trained as a pilot and was commissioned. As
he was too young to be sent overseas but was
considered suitable, David became a flying
instructor. He trained on Tiger Moths and also
twin-engine Oxfords at Harewood and Wigram.
Just towards the end of the war he was posted
to Blenheim to convert onto fighters, but before
the course finished the Japanese surrendered
and his training was abandoned. David was
discharged with the rank of Flying Officer.
On return to civilian life he re-joined the Union
Company. In 1948 he married Barbara Tully, and
was shortly transferred to Nandi, Fiji where the
Union Co. had been appointed agents for British
Commonwealth Pacific Airlines. While there he
transferred to the New Zealand Air Department
as aircraft controller at Nandi. He subsequently
transferred to the Calibration Flight based at
Paraparaumu, which had the duty of checking
the accuracy of radio navigation aids at all
airfields in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
After several years he transferred to Qantas,
and whilst with them, was based in London for
some years. On return to Sydney, David became
a Check Captain and was seconded to both
Olympic Airlines in Athens, and also the Thai
Airlines to train their pilots on Boeing 707’s
David retired to Sydney and later moved to
Springwood in the Blue Mountains where he did
much work for both the Springwood Golf Club, of
which he was made a Life Member, and also for
the Blue Mountains Golf Association. His wife
died in 1983 and he remained in Springwood for
the rest of his life, where he died on 21 October
2014. David is survived by a son living in Thailand
and a daughter in New South Wales.